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Bringing the Theatre to the Big Screen

Next week there will be two benefit screenings at the Film Center in Vineyard Haven of the live stage performance of Falsettos. James Lapine, one of the creators of the play and a long time seasonal resident of the Vineyard, will take part in the discussions after the screenings.

The story of Falsetto’s begins in 1981 when March of the Falsettos premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizon in New York city. The music, lyrics and book were by William Finn and the show was directed by Mr. Lapine. It was his third play in what would eventually become a successful career in stage and film — three Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Peabody, the awards list is very long.

In March of the Falsettos a husband comes out as a gay man but rather than leave his wife and son for a new life, he attempts to create a different type of nuclear family that includes his much younger male lover. The play was a hit but after its run the creative team moved on to other projects. A decade later, they decided to check in with their characters to see what had become of them during the tumultuous 1980s, in particular the AIDS epidemic.

“It was what was on our minds,” Mr. Lapine said, remembering those days in New York city.

The result was Falsettos, a full length play that used March of the Falsettos as its first act, and a second act that introduced AIDS into the story as the younger male lover becomes sick.

Falsettos opened in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

In 2016, Mr. Lapine was sitting with a young producer named Jordan Roth. Mr. Lapine asked him what he was working on and “what was on his bucket list of projects?” It turned out reviving Falsetto’s was at the top of Mr. Roth’s list. He had seen the play as a teenager and it had meant a great deal to him. The play was revived and performed at Lincoln Center. It was also filmed live and has enjoyed a wide theatrical release, much to Mr. Lapine’s surprise. Not many plays have the staying power of nearly three decades.

“Mostly, I didn’t want people to forget about that era,” Mr. Lapine said, referring to his own interest in reviving the play. “It’s important to keeping telling this story.”